Study to show THYSELF Approved!

I was reading the bible the other day and read in Second Timothy, where it says:

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
2 Timothy 2:15 (King James Version)

The New King James says to "be diligent to present yourself approved to God".

An important reminder that we all need to spend regular time in careful and diligent study of God's Word for our own edification, learning, and comparing the reality of our own selves and lives to what God's Will is as revealed in His Word.

A preacher told the story in a bible study class the other day of a new preacher who wanted to save everyone in the town in which he had begun his work as an evangelist, preacher and teacher. Eventually after long and hard labor, and some level of discouragement, he decided he needed to focus just on the souls within his local congregation, and just doing all he could to see that as many of them made it to heaven as possible. After another long period of time he gradually grew discouraged in that effort to some degree. He then decided that what he absolutely needed to do was focus on his own immediate family and ensuring that he did everything possible and worked as hard as possible to make sure that they all made it to heaven. And finally when even that proved to be discouraging, he finally decided that what he needed to do was focus on himself, and trying to make sure that in the end, that he made it to heaven.

I think that in the end if we all focus on ourselves first, get the planks out of our own eyes, repair and repent from the wrongs that we do in our lives, and make our own hearts and lives right with God, we may be properly equipped to help our families, local congregations, and those round and about us in the world.

We need to spend time in study, prayer, and worship before God. We need to examine ourselves with a high degree of careful and critical review against the commandments, judgments, precepts, and wisdom of God's perfect Word. In the end what matters is that we ourselves do not hear those words "Depart from me, I never knew you" in the day of judgment.

In James 3:1-2, it says:
"My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things..."

and in James 1:21-27 it says:
Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.